PEOPLE QUEUED UP FROM EARLY MORNING TO TAKE FIRST RIDE ON KOCHI METRO :

People queued up from early morning to take their first ride on the Kochi Metro that began its commercial operations here on 19th. June. The maximum rush was witnessed at the two starting points – one at Aluva and the other at Palarivatom metro stations. Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated this dream project to the nation on Saturday. “We were the first to get the ticket and the first to enter the metro train. We reached here at 4.45 a.m. and took the ride on the first train that departed to Aluva at 6 a.m. This was a great experience,” a middle aged lady told the media. The metro train will run between Aluva and Palarivatom stations – a distance of 13 km at an interval of 10 minutes from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. everyday. The time taken to cover the distance between the two points is 20 minutes and the ticket cost ranges from Rs 10 to a maximum of Rs 40. Kochi Metro Rail Limited Managing Director Elias George said: “There were some initial problems at the time of issuing tickets but within a few minutes everything was resolved and things are going as per the schedule.” IANS : 19th. June,17